Riders share style and stories, Coolest Bike in Town show

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2 days ago

DES MOINES, Iowa — The annual Coolest Bike in Town was held at Captain Roy's on Sunday, and crowds gathered to share and compare their prized bikes with each other.
Ichi Bike and the Street Collective put on the event and say it's a great way to bring the community together and to follow along with the journey that bikes go through.
'I love it because this is not a physically competitive event, this is just all about bikes and creativity, and you know, whoever, it's about like weird touches that people put on their bikes, it's about the personalized thing you do when you ride something you love. So we get lots of really cool, creative bikes here that you'd never see anywhere else,' said Bobby Kennedy, Director of Bike Shop Operations at Street Collective.
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The event also serves as inspiration for bike shops and passionate riders. Daniel Koenig is the owner of Ichi Bike and says there's always something that gets the creative juices flowing.
'I'm excited to see some things that maybe I haven't seen before, but it hasn't kind of really revealed itself to me yet, so I'm still waiting to see the bike that's going to make me go whoo, you know, there's always one, or two, or three,' said Koenig.
Koenig has been coming to the event since 2011 and say's each year is entirely different.
'The different styles of bikes have come and gone just a little bit like you know at one point there was a huge amount of people who were super into fixed gear bikes, you know this kind of bike and that kind of bike. As time goes on, things wax and wane and kind of develop,' Koenig.
Wade Thompson, Owner Captain Roy's, says while he doesn't have a specific bike that caught his eye, he's always looking out for special builds.
'I like the old clunkers, you know, especially when they build up an older frame or something like that and put dirt on it and stuff like that. They're cool bikes and you can ride them on the dirt trails, which is something I enjoy doing,' said Thompson.
However, for Kennedy, it's a piece with a transformation history and a special touch that catches his attention this year.
'There is a trike nearby that's all chrome with a handmade wool panel basket, that like, was sourced from the guy's brother's farm,' said Kennedy. 'It started out life as a wholly other bike, and then it became a trike, and then an e-bike, it's really cool.
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